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The Other Side of Midnight

by Sidney Sheldon

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 18,017 ratings · 427 reviews

An innocent American girl becomes a bewildered pawn in a game of vengeance and betrayal.

Mass Market Paperback, 462 pages

Published 1975 by Dell Publishing Co., Inc. (first published 1973)

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May 24, 2013 Chrissie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

I've read suspense, and though I haven't read every last bit of them, I've read enough Gardner and Grisham (and count Koontz if you will) for this to not impress me at all. I don't know what this novel accomplished; heck, I don't even know who the protagonist/s is/are. There's too much detail IMO, so much that it took forever for the story to get to the point. Not to mention the boring mid-part that didn't contribute to the story. And ironically, it still seemed like everything is going fast-for...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Tana rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorite books and has been for a long time - I think I have read everything by Sidney Sheldon and loved all of them!!

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Apr 29, 2013 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Two totally different woman crossed path because of the same purpose to fight for one man.

Noelle Page a true born beauty, was raised as a princess because she possessed an extraordinaire beauty that nobody has ever seen. She was raised by her Parents, protected and cared by his Father who wouldn’t let anyone touch his daughter unless you can give him fortune.

Catherine Alexanders A simple girl, with a simple dream. TO make her family stay together and to embark a future that could hold a tight d...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Upn Earnestaster rated it 5 of 5 stars

Though Sidney Shedon's "Stranger in the Mirror" affects me more strongly than any of the other books in his magnificent canon I would introduce "The Other Side of Midnight" as a flagship example to explain why Sidney Sheldon was one of the great story-tellers of the twentieth century. There are four protagonists with diverse backgrounds, and Sheldon puts them in his crucible - what emerges is a spectacularly textured epic that lifts and plunges us through the highs and lows of life.

Sheldon said...more Though Sidney Shedon's "Stranger in the Mirror" affects me more strongly than any of the other books in his magnificent canon I would introduce "The Other Side of Midnight" as a flagship example to explain why Sidney Sheldon was one of the great story-tellers of the twentieth century. There are four protagonists with diverse backgrounds, and Sheldon puts them in his crucible - what emerges is a spectacularly textured epic that lifts and plunges us through the highs and lows of life.

Sheldon said in his autobiography that of all the artforms he was involved in -plays, movies,TV serials- he loved writing novels the best as he could do anything he wanted in them. In O.S.M ,we are thrust into the center of a thrillingly constructed courtroom drama which rivets international attention, Marseille in France pitches in with the smell of fish and scheming townfolk, we become voyeurs in the life of a young woman whose fantastic beauty is matched by her mental strength, soar into the skies where WWII planes zoom in a dance of death, peer into the colossal mind of a business tycoon who will not admit defeat, breeze past the glamour and riches of the super-wealthy and into a charmingly presented tour of the cities and countryside of Greece that is beautifully woven into the storyline. Sheldon can do anything, go anywhere and we are the beneficiaries of his largesse.

Noelle Page is an exquisitely beautiful young woman from Marseilles who is repeatedly hurt to the point of transforming her driven character. Though not born into royalty,she is inexorable in ultimately making herself a young empress by dint of own achievement. Severe trauma in her early life darkens her soul and cripples her kindness, and she coldly uses important men to advance her acting and modelling career while ascending to the ultimate international pedestal . Her alchemical transformation in a hotel room in Vienne, the teasing but superb psychodynamics between her and another man in Amsterdam,and sledgehammer verdicts in Greece are some of her saga's highlights .Her story also hints at that crazy thing called true romantic love.

Larry Douglas is an elite American pilot whose handsomeness and charm are as great as his flaws.He romances countless women before before marriage. But we realize more and more that Larry, for all of his gifts, is a man for whom there is no guarantee of stability even if he is given the greatest love of his life. His constant joy only lies in constant movement and the question looms -what is the price for that?

Catherine is a delightful young lady who hails from an unstable childhood. She is about to enter into a life of guaranteed security with a good prosperous man, when the force of "love" assails her. The narration is excellent in revealing her winsome nature, sparkling sense of humour, and the thankless nature of her fate in this story.

Constantin Demiris is a Greek business titan -amongst the richest men in the world- who rises with his supreme mind to conquer the physical world. Starting off as a stevedore in Piraeus,a stroke of coaxed luck is enough into propel him towards exponentially expanding business acquisitions. We see that he destroys pusillanimity while constantly nurturing his giant will-power. Noelle Page enters into his orbit- they both seem to make a perfect pair in terms of almost every quality that mortals could hope to have, but they lack that crucial something which can make even poor mortals noble. One of the book's great strengths lies in immersing us in the dizzying power that these individuals generate, and in reminding us that we are only limited by the boundaries that we draw in our own minds.

Readers would have noted that there are ample references to 'love' here. But Sheldon is also a specialist in the physical aspect of it, and it is great fun to experience the sexual adventures of Noelle. She thrills and astonishes her carefully chosen partners before meeting her shamelessly audacious equal. When it comes to romps by other characters too, the author has this knack for building excitement and cascade of sensations while surging towards explosive climaxes and spent sated states. But sex is also used in conjunction with the characters' other talents in service of bigger aims- the episode in which Noelle wins over Armand Gautier in their first sustained meeting, is a little masterpiece by itself.

As an exercise in the myriad powers of the author, Sheldon also devises cunningly constucted courtroom victories and intrigues (cf. Rage of Angels). For this he creates the remarkable character of Napolean Chotas - a top criminal lawyer whose cunning behaviour and stealthy strategies are a joy to witness.

Sheldon is well-known for making readers deeply care about his characters. I have sometimes wondered that if Noelle Page had been ushered unscarred into marriage with a boy she liked in the backwaters of Marseille, would she have subsumed her faculties into maintaining small-town family life, or would she still have found ways to break big? On another note, I am also impressed with how secondary characters are given such filling brush-strokes. Only for a few pages at the start of the novel, we are let into life of a Greek inspector who has a matronly wife and sweet young mistress. That ephemeral track is whipped up with such skill and investment of interest that it is enough to construct a whole petite novella. Sheldon can create magic from day-to-day life and he does not need magic realism for that.

Sheldon wrote this book early in his fifties, and early in his novel-writing career after the disapppointing "Naked Face", and what he achieves here is tantamount to winning the World Cup after stumbling in the leagues.The Other Side of Midnight has a satisfying follow-up act too, in the form of Part II- Memories of Midnight, but the first book does not need something to fill it out. It stands complete as a sprawling masterwork from which I emerged spent, asking for nothing more. This is entertainment for the Gods. (less)

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Sep 07, 2012 VaultOfBooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

By Sidney Sheldon. Grade: A
Sidney Sheldon is one of the most prolific writers of all time. In the literary circles, he has been dubbed “the master of the unexpected”�. From writing novels to screenplays to TV scripts, Sidney Sheldon has done it all. The Other Side of Midnight is the second novel of his career, the first being The Naked Face.
The story follows a beautiful French actress whose craving for passion and vengeance takes her from the gutters of Paris to the bedroom of a powerful billion...more By Sidney Sheldon. Grade: A
Sidney Sheldon is one of the most prolific writers of all time. In the literary circles, he has been dubbed “the master of the unexpected”�. From writing novels to screenplays to TV scripts, Sidney Sheldon has done it all. The Other Side of Midnight is the second novel of his career, the first being The Naked Face.
The story follows a beautiful French actress whose craving for passion and vengeance takes her from the gutters of Paris to the bedroom of a powerful billionaire; a dynamic Greek tycoon who never forgets an insult, never forgives an injury; and a handsome war hero lured from his wife by another woman. From Paris to Washington, Hollywood to the islands of Greece, The Other Side of Midnight is the story of four star-crossed lives enmeshed in a deadly ritual of passion, intrigue and corruption.

The plot basically revolves around two women: Noelle Page and Catherine Alexander.
Noelle Page, born in a small French town, is a young woman of unparalleled beauty. Her life was a dream, a doting father, a loving family, an awestruck village, until the Nazis invaded their country. Ever since then her life has been going downhill. She was forced into the arms (bed, rather) of the village’s richest man. But she runs away to Paris where she is rescued by an American stranger after getting into trouble. She falls in love with this American war hero, Larry Douglas and is about to marry him when she finds out that that the love of her life is a Casanova (that is an understatement) and that he had ditched her. It is at this point of time that she swears vengeance against the one man who had ruined her life and left her in shambles.
On the other hand, Catherine Alexander, born in Chicago in the family of a travelling salesman, had a lesser troubled life. As soon as she entered into college, a fear began to plague her which would shape the course of her life. Once graduated (and still fearing the same thing), she entered into a job in Washington D.C. where she found her first romance (who turned out to be her lifelong friend). After quite some time, she bumped into an arrogant, pestering, annoying man called Larry Douglas (yes, the same one). They both fall in love and get married.
Meanwhile, Noelle Page’s vengeance leads her to a French director, whose association helps her become an actress. From the bylanes of France, she had now come into the spotlight, into the eyes of every single person in France and all over the world. But when she learns about the new developments in Larry Douglas’ life, she renews her efforts and hence, lands into (yes, the bed) of Constantin Demiris, the ruthless yet benevolent Greek tycoon who had outmanoeuvred every enemy who had at any point of his life, insulted him. (During this period, it is Catherine who is suffering as Larry is caught up in the Second World War.)
Because of the deliberate circumstances created by Noelle, Larry ends up working for Demiris and both Catherine and Larry move to Greece. As planned by Noelle, this is the last nail in the coffin of Larry Douglas as he has now walked into her clutches. What happens at the end of Noelle’s vengeful journey is how the plot ends.
Had there been a moral of the story, it would have been “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”�. The sheer monstrosity of the hatred that Noelle holds for Larry in her heart is what drives her to the lengths across the world and Catherine, probably the only innocent figure in the novel, is caught up in this. Sidney Sheldon, in The Other Side of Midnight, gives a glimpse of the dark side of a woman’s heart and desires. The novel is really fast paced and the best part is how the timeline is put to use (believe it or not, the Second World War plays a very important role in the novel).
The writing is very gripping and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. Another very good example of how seemingly small errors in judgement can have extreme consequences. A must-read for everyone who is interested in fiction.

Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com (less)

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Aug 07, 2012 A.Z. Green rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-this-author, pure-gold, stomach-fluttering-naughtiness, love-triangle-overload, hey-man-meet-my-fist, creepy-jeebies, grow-some-and-get-over-it-already, heres-a-keeper, must-strangle-that-character, tears-at-your-soul, what-a-plonker, crime-murders-and-mysteries, suck-it-up-and-be-a-man

This book was absolutely brilliant.

It's the first Sidney Sheldon book I read, handed down to me by my mum. Though this probably wouldn't be something I'd choose from a pile of books initially, but because it was recommended to me I gave it a go. And the blurb did sound intriguing but it didn't do the book justice. It certainly didn't prepare me for what I got.

Noelle and Catherine, the two main female characters were very different and yet very similiar too. They both love the same man, Larry Do...more This book was absolutely brilliant.

It's the first Sidney Sheldon book I read, handed down to me by my mum. Though this probably wouldn't be something I'd choose from a pile of books initially, but because it was recommended to me I gave it a go. And the blurb did sound intriguing but it didn't do the book justice. It certainly didn't prepare me for what I got.

Noelle and Catherine, the two main female characters were very different and yet very similiar too. They both love the same man, Larry Douglas, though for the life of me I couldn't see why. Sure if I saw him I'd probably be drooling too but his personality can only be defined in these words, 'arrogant, selfish, womanizing jerk.' And then some.

He's a charmer that's for sure and at times he has his 'good guy' moments but seriously ladies, he's NOT worth it.

Noelle was an interesting character but I found reading her parts uncomfortable at times, because I couldn't imagine how someone could do some of the things she did. (view spoiler) And just out of curiosity, was it me or was the moment she found out Larry had betrayed her a little puzzling? I had to read it a few times to work out what the huge discovery had been. He'd gone to a club, instead of meet her. It sounds bad, but not THAT bad (view spoiler)
And yet she has a good heart too. She helps Israel Katz. I liked her a lot then and began to sympathize with her a little more, until she and Larry met up and began plotting their evil scheme. And then I sympathized with her again at the end.

Catherine is my kind of girl. Sure she messes up, but she's funny and cracks jokes to cover up her errors and embarrassment. Her clumsiness is cute and she's quite graceful about it. Plus she has confidence issues (like Noelle, but different) which Sidney (Who I had at first thought was a female author) portrayed beautifully. Especially for a man writing about every woman's lack of self-confidence whether to do with their body like Catherine, or sense of worth like Noelle.
Catherine made me laugh a lot, especially when she finally gets the chance to lose the big V and has a severe case of thought-to-mouth-vomit. Love her! And I found myself much closer to her than anyone else throughout the book. I like her fella too.

The plot was well thought out, even though it had a lot in it, I couldn't put it down. It was informative but not longwinded. When it was fast paced it didn't draw it away from the emotions and the plot, when it was slow paced it merely increased the suspense and the urge to know more.

After reading only one book Sheldon is the Man, to me anyway. I will continue to give his books a chance even if they don't match up to this one. It'll be pretty hard to do that so I won't blame him if he doesn't. :D

5 out of 5 stars for me. And I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. I hope it isn't one of those series that makes me think he should have kept it as one book. We shall see. (less)

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Feb 16, 2011 Luke Devenish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being somewhere in the middle of the most recent Man Booker Prize winner at the moment and finding it decidedly uncompelling, I needed an antidote stat. And what better than this sordid potboiler, rediscovered on my shelves during a recent book purge? I always expect derision when I tell people of my Sidney Sheldon love, but oddly, it never comes. At least, not to my face. Perhaps this review will break the rule? Sheldon is a marvelous writer. The lessons to be learned from reading him are long...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Desiree Koh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: funtimes

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really do enjoy the fun exercise of reading a particular writer's entire canon in chronological order, because you can truly track the progression (or regression) as a writer and observe developmental nuances. Obviously, this is all a little over-the-top for the Sidney Sheldon bibliography (oh, if only I can get my act together for the long-awaited Thomas Hardy and John Steinbeck renditions of this project), but the guy was quite the master of his game.

I believe a large inspiration for Sheldon...more I really do enjoy the fun exercise of reading a particular writer's entire canon in chronological order, because you can truly track the progression (or regression) as a writer and observe developmental nuances. Obviously, this is all a little over-the-top for the Sidney Sheldon bibliography (oh, if only I can get my act together for the long-awaited Thomas Hardy and John Steinbeck renditions of this project), but the guy was quite the master of his game.

I believe a large inspiration for Sheldon's success as a general fiction writer specializing in thrillers comes from his screenwriting background. The dialogue between characters is staccato sharp and moves in an upbeat tempo like a Scorcese film. His chapter cliffhangers are deftly executed - it's extremely challenging to stop at one. Every ingenious play and outplay of wits and capers pulled off is on par with the smartest heist movies made. And the mise en scene is perfect. Paris, Athens, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago - wherever. The details are lurid, fluid and splashes across the pages with vibrance. And that's why you can't keep your face out of the book.

This is probably one of my favorite books in the Sheldon repertoire. While I remembered few details, two scenes I knew by heart, each involving one of the two female protagonists. One was a self-executed abortion with a clothes hanger. Another was a self-aborted sex scene with a college jock. That's what writers adept at scene-stealing can do - they leave their mark on your consciousness.

I began to tire of Sheldon's cockily sure style after a while. You knew he knew he had you around his typing fingers. So he got somewhat sloppy and I knew where the rest of the book was headed. But see - here's where smug writers get smart. I continued reading, because I wanted to corroborate my theories. And when I did, I half wanted to throw the book across the room and half sighed contentedly. And when a piece of writing can elicit such emotions from you, shouldn't it be quite the work of art, a masterpiece?(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Benjamin Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

So I inherited a lot of books from my mom and among them were about 10 Sideny Sheldon novels. I had read a couple of his years ago and while I thought they were pretty good, I wasn't compelled to go out out of my way to aquire more of them. So I went into this one with a certain hopefulness but not expecting to be blown out of the water.

But I was...blown out of the water, I mean. Written in the '70s, it takes place during and shortly after WWII. But it's not "about" WWII but rather about three m...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Iae rated it 4 of 5 stars

let me take that all in just a moment...

Wow. What a story. Though the middle part could use some trimming, because it felt a little draggy thus the four star rating. That's the only reason why this book received a four star rating from me, and maybe Catherine's sudden stupidity at the end and Noelle's total change of heart in the middle other than that this was an amazing story.

I really liked how the author told the story from two different sides and from two different parts of the world and m...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Agnes Shin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sidney-sheldon, suspense

This was the one moment when I hoped I had read Sheldon's books in order. It wasn't necessary so far, but this time it was; this book was the first episode, and the book Memories of Midnight, which I read a few weeks ago, was the second. It didn't make that much of a difference, but it still would've been much better if I read them in order. Still, it was nice in a way; it felt like watching a very nice suspense movie for the second time, knowing the ending already.
I heard that the book was made...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Hodan A rated it 5 of 5 stars

captivating is the only one word that I would use to describe this novel. Each character was enjoyable in itself and as a part of the whole novel. Noelle page was an interesting character in my opinion she's a french psychopath- beautiful one though; Cathrine was my favorite smart,resourceful and utterly beautiful-the usual combination for a goody-two shoes lass, what is striking is Michale Douglas whom is the common denominator of the two leading female characters. Douglas has an affair with No...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Rin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novel is quite enjoyable in the book 1 and book 2 of this series. I have read one of Sidney Sheldon's book before this book, Rage of Angel. I can't stop comparing similarities between those books: heroine- beautiful, intelligent women, sex& pleasure, and tragedy. In this book, there are 2 leading female characters and both of them are very sexy, beautiful and really intelligent. Somehow, the heroine are made way too much amazing that I can imagine them in real life. Over-depicted. I per...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Chingwan Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

A woman that lost her memory, as she retrieves her memory, she finds out truths about her past life which still haunts her.
Amnesia is one of the things we love to read. But the details forgotten are not all that interesting. ANd the after life of amnesia is not that interesting (involving hosting a gang of people who will eventually murder Noelle)
And then the guy who dies of the ski accident. I guess it is a fact of life that we meet people without sparks but they are good people, but then, this...more

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Mar 11, 2010 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very good read! This is my second time reading the book (I have many of Sidney Sheldon's earlier books and haven't read them for years, so I'm re-reading them).

I found the same thing particular with the one character the second time around as the first....I don't want to ruin the book for anyone so I'll be vague - the one character is a very strong, intelligent women throughout the whole book until the end. Then with circumstances that I won't go into, her character changes. No. I'm not a femin...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Charles Bond rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

what can i say about this book? certainly not what i was expecting, i do not always check out the blurbs, just like the sound of a title. i figured this was going to be a tale of a person, or persons that are having trouble with insomnia, boy was i mistaken. it is the clever coming together of paths of i think four characters, two of whom are thrown together then, drawn apart only to come together again, seemingly by one of the two by chance, however, the lass in a clever way managed to make it...more

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Apr 30, 2012 LookPla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: น-ยายแปล

เปิดเรื่องด้วยการปูพื้นตัวละครแต่ละตัวที่มีความสัมพันธ์กับโนแอลล์
ปูพื้นกันอยู่นานจนคิดว่า เป็นนิยายดราม่าเข้าซะแล้ว
แต่ก็ทำได้น่าสนใจ ไม่น่าเบื่อนะคะ
หลังจากทำความรู้จักกับตัวละครแต่ละตัวกันจนดีพอแล้ว
ก็เข้าเรื่องราวเส้นทางการเดินทางของโนแอลล์ เพื่อตามล้างแค้น แลร์รี่
เป็นครั้งแรกที่ได้อ่านนิยายของนักเขียนคนนี้ แล้วก็ต้องบอกว่า
ชอบ จนต้องไปตามหาซื้อเรื่องอื่นๆ มาอ่านกันอีกเลย
มีฉากเลิฟซีนพอให้กระชุ่มกระชวยกันด้วย
บทสรุปก็เล่นเอาชวนอึ้งกันไป
เล่มนี้คุณเพื่อนให้ยืมมาค่ะ แต่ไอ้คนให้ยืมมาน่ะ บอกว่ายังไม่ได้...more

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Mar 03, 2008 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read when I was really, really young. Thought it was great then. Not sure how I'd feel about it now...

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Feb 16, 2009 Pat Cromwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book -- great semi mystery. I must admit that I hated when the villian-chick got her come uppance and the goody two shoe chick came out on top. Felt very sorry for the hero. Of course he got played big time. This was one of those influential books I read when I was a teen and into my mid twenties that set the course for the type of books I devour now adays and the "Soap opera get the heck out of here" themes that I love. This book was made into a movie and I remember going to the show all...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Harsha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This a wonderfully fast paced book (as is usual for most Sidney Sheldon books) containing two parallel stories which intertwine eventually. Each of the characters are strongly depicted. The main characters are Noelle Page, Catherine Alexander and Larry Douglas. You will either love or hate Noelle Page. Noelle's story typically shows us how an individual personality is moulded by the circumstances and experiences faced by the individual. Catherine Alexander is a regular hard-working sweet and tru...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Connie N. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, romantic-suspense

I read this book when it first came out (in the 70's) and remember it as being amazing, but I had forgotten the details. This time when I picked it up it was with a sense of anticipation, and I was not disappointed. Sheldon writes so well, compelling the reader to hurry from page to page to find out what will happen. The characters are well-rounded and exciting, not necessarily likeable but always forceful and interesting. The story could be considered commonplace--romance and murder--but instea...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Salymar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read

A really intriguing book from the start -as always by Sidney Sheldon. However, this time Sheldon has negated the story in the middle to the end, and it made a disappointing point of view.

Essentially, The Other Side of Midnight occurs before, during, and after World War II, but this is not a war novel. The novel deals with a love 'quadrangle'. It started with a beautiful French woman, Noelle Page. She was sold into the fashion business by her father, Mr. Jacques Page. Mr Page advises his daughter...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Mme. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, romance

The Other Side of Midnight, was my first novel of Sidney Sheldon's novels and my most treasured. The timing in reading this novel was impeccable! Some of the settings takes place in two of my favorite countries, Paris and America!

It was a wonderful time in my life when it was first introduced to me. I was a young college student who enjoyed the simple things in life and was eager to venture out to learn more. This novel allowed me to embrace my life with elegance and grace yet permitting me to...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Gwilym rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A thriller of romantic and personal politics. Sidney Sheldon was a true master of the page turner, and this three way thread is no exception. The parallel lives of two women living through a hard knocks school are both turned into dream worlds by the enigmatic womaniser, Larry Douglas. The feckless social conscience is not enough to extinguish the burning desire both women feel for Douglas and their involvement with him is a rollercoaster of emotions with spectacular peaks and terrifying dark tr...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Jeremy Bates rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think I found this book via my mother. When I was in university, whenever I went home to visit, I'd return with a big bag of books my mom had bought and read.

One night I grabbed this from the bookshelf, not knowing what to expect. I think I had been putting it off for a while because it had a cover from the seventies and looked like pseudo romance.

Anyway, I read it in one or two sittings! I'd never read an author as breezy (and I say this is a very good way), as Sheldon. His writing is so clea...more I think I found this book via my mother. When I was in university, whenever I went home to visit, I'd return with a big bag of books my mom had bought and read.

One night I grabbed this from the bookshelf, not knowing what to expect. I think I had been putting it off for a while because it had a cover from the seventies and looked like pseudo romance.

Anyway, I read it in one or two sittings! I'd never read an author as breezy (and I say this is a very good way), as Sheldon. His writing is so clean and simplistic, I don't understand why more authors don't imitate his style.

Actually, I should modify that by saying Dan Brown--da Vinci man himself--got his writing bug after reading a Sheldon book--The Doomsday Conspiracy, I believe. He said he read it, thought it was great, and thought he could do better. Well, maybe he did with the da Vinci Code (commercially speaking). But Dan, brother, let's keep things real: you've written for or five books. Sheldon was an Academy Award-winning writer. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created The Patty Duke Show (1963–66), I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70) and Hart to Hart (1979–84). Only at fifty--that's right, the big five-oh--he began writing novels. He wrote about fifteen of them, becoming the sixth best selling writer of all time, before passing away a couple years ago.

That above paragraph in itself should be enough to get you to read this work if you've never picked up a Sheldon book before.

One interesting fact I read somewhere about him: he never sat down at a typewriter to write but instead dictated to his secretary. At the end of the process, he would then cut away as much as eighty percent of the novel. No fat--one of the reasons his books or so lean and tough to put down.

Here's the blurb: An innocent American girl becomes a bewildered pawn in a game of vengeance and betrayal.

LOL...Even that is bare bones!

Check him out if you haven't. If you have, read this one (it was my first and favorite). If you have read this one, there's a sequel to it he wrote seventeen years later in 1990 called Memories of Midnight.

Oh--and there was a film made about it too. It was directed by Charles Jarrott and the cast included a young Susan Sarandon. Those crazy Japanese (yes I can say that; I lived there for several years!)turned it into a radio drama. Didn't that stuff die with Orson Wells??

Oyasuminasai!!

(less)

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Mar 05, 2013 Kimberly Hicks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Kimberly by: Found at local Library years ago

Shelves: read-in-hard-back, read-on-kindle

The first time I read this book, I was 15 years old and I was blown away at how well written this book was and how the characters took hold of my life and carried me away to a time that I often felt I should have been born in, but that wasn't in the cards. However, the wonderful thing about reading is just that, you can go anywhere, sight unseen, time and space, and it's like you were really there.

I decided to reacquaint myself with this book since it has been many, many, many years ago when I...more

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Aug 26, 2010 Darlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heart-gripping but totally wicked. I read this book when I was in high school and loved so very much. But that time it was borrowed and now I got my own personal copy. As this is my second read of the book, I was really glad I feel the same way I felt the first time I read it. Even much better.

It has got to be the most suspenseful book where you do not see the twist until at the very end. It is a brilliant twist! The storyline was utterly amazing and he had such a masterful mind. And the book is...more

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Oct 12, 2009 David rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who enjoy good story-telling rather than literature

Recommended to David by: Ayala Griver

This was the first Sidney Sheldon book I read and the only one I can honestly say was truly good - although I read several others on the strength of this. I had been told about it in advance by a girl who had read it. I was 17 and she was 16 at the time. It was quite funny really because she had forgotten the title and the author and had to be reminded of the title by a friend, but still couldn't remember the author. She had read the book in America, but I couldn't find it in the shops.

I was so...more This was the first Sidney Sheldon book I read and the only one I can honestly say was truly good - although I read several others on the strength of this. I had been told about it in advance by a girl who had read it. I was 17 and she was 16 at the time. It was quite funny really because she had forgotten the title and the author and had to be reminded of the title by a friend, but still couldn't remember the author. She had read the book in America, but I couldn't find it in the shops.

I was so anxious to read it on the strength of the praise she had lavished on it (and its somewhat beguiling title) that she feared that I would be disappointed when i actually read it. Eventually I got my hand on a second-hand copy and read it. I have to admit that I got a real surprise from the ending - which was all the more impressive because he had laid out the clues. It's just that it wasn't presented as a mystery, so there was no hint that there was going to be any sort of surprise at the end.

I read several other Sidney Sheldon books - the next one (Stranger in the Mirror) in one 12 hour session. But none of them were anything like as good as this one. After that I was on a high for a long time and found that most other books didn't live up to the high-octane intensity of this one.

One thing that I have never particularly liked about Sidney Sheldon is that there is an element of amorality about his stories. I don't mean sexual morality, I just mean that in his stories it is neither good or evil that triumphs but rather some sort of amorphous in-between state. But then again maybe that is realism.

Another thing is that after this I have been very conscious of the value of a real kick-in-the-ribs surprise ending. And three decades later I learned from a writer Sheldon inspired - Dan Brown - of the value of ending chapters on cliff-hangers.

Now if you want to see an example of all these things (cliff-hanger chapters, kick-in-the-ribs ending) just read my new thriller MERCY, published by Avon (HarperCollins) on the 26th of November 2009.(less)

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May 20, 2008 Lawanen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had just finished reading this book some days ago and I am completely at awe with it. Sidney Sheldon is good. HE IS REALLY GOOD. I loved his varied settings and approaches with tempting characters and his unpredictable plot. The story gets more evil and evil as it progresses and I think that element makes the book more dramatic. I honestly think that if Larry Douglas exist in real life, I think I too would be his, um, victim.. (Is that the right term?) Well, the justice that was projected fro...more

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Jan 06, 2008 Princesz Princesz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone!!!

Recommended to Princesz by: my mom!!!

Shelves: sidney-sheldon

This was the 1st of his books that i read.... and did i love it or what...... it was just AWESOME!!!! Sidney's got a way of so vividly captivating images into words...... beginning off with nicole's father's treachery..... and believe me, that really was just the beginning........ Larry's betrayal diminished whatever trust she had left in her..... it was almost as if i could feel it myself...... the hollowness within her...... the emptiness in her life.... no amount of money could fill it up.......more

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About Sidney Sheldon

Was an American writer who won awards in three careers—a Broadway playwright, a Hollywood TV and movie screenwriter, and a best-selling novelist. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created I Dream of Jeannie (1965-70), Hart to Hart (1979-84), and The Patty Duke Show (1963-66), but it was not until after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Gam...more

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